here at the office. But…
It was a beautiful day. Normal people would have left work early today. Normal people would be meeting for beers on Ocean Drive.
“I think I have the beginnings of a sinus headache,” I lied. “Let’s call it a day.”
An hour later, Lona was tucked away in one of the guest condos on the other side of the enclave with a comped dinner and a front desk ready to do her bidding. And I was lounging on my bayfront terrace between the sugar white sand and the lip of my saltwater pool while my lover grilled burgers.
Jane and the housekeeping team had been joyfully dismissed from their duties for the night. It was just me and Derek. And Brutus who had wandered over to critique Derek’s grilling.
I’d changed into a scandalously small red bikini and oversized sunglasses, then enjoyed Derek’s undivided attention when I strolled across the patio to my favorite lounge chair.
I had a sci-fi novel I’d borrowed from him open. My phone—the lifeline to my empire—was in the house somewhere. Miraculously, I wasn’t exhibiting any withdrawal symptoms yet.
Somehow, my life had taken a very drastic turn in just a few short weeks. In moments like this, it was hard to be angry with Merritt Van What’s His Name. Because had he not been an idiot, Derek Price would not be studying me over his Ray-Bans with a look that suggested I was the next course.
Of course, I only had another hour carved out for this relaxation. Then it was back to work.
“I can hear your wheels turning,” Derek said, dropping down on my lounger. He ran his hands up my bare legs.
Irresistible. The word still applied to him.
He’d stripped out of the suit and gone for swim trunks and a short-sleeved button-down in dark blue. He hadn’t bothered with the buttons.
“Just contemplating the surface tension of anti-aging cream,” I teased.
“I’m not sure you realize how attractive I find you. Not just for your born-to-wear-that-bikini body, but for the annals of your mind,” Derek said.
I glanced at the visible erection in his shorts. “I think I can make some safe assumptions.”
Gently, he lowered himself over me and pressed a soft, silky kiss to my mouth.
The shrubs parted, and Brutus grumbled his way across the patio to the grill.
“Your sous chef is demanding your attention,” I said, stroking my hand over his jaw.
“How are you?” he asked, brushing my hair off my forehead. “Are you tired?”
I thought about it. “Yes. But in a good way. Not an edge-of-physical exhaustion way,” I promised.
“A lot happened today,” he reminded me.
I could feel the nudge of his hard-on against my leg. “I have a feeling there’s more to come.”
He removed his sunglasses and pushed mine up so we were eye to eye.
It was a long, loaded look.
“You terrify me,” he admitted finally.
“What are you talking about?” I scoffed.
“You don’t need me. You don’t need anyone.”
He was so serious, so broody.
“There’s more to a relationship than necessity, Price.”
“How would you know? It’s been two years since you’ve dated someone.”
A nugget from his dossier on me, I supposed. I wished I had one on him. I wondered if Jane did. “How long has it been since you’ve dated someone monogamously for longer than a month?”
He pressed his crotch into my hand and toyed with the string of my top. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”
I reached between us and cupped his shaft. He hissed in a breath at the contact. “Would you rather be needed or wanted?”
“I’d rather be whatever keeps me near you,” he confessed. “And that also scares the daylights out of me.”
I’d confessed a fear to him today, and he was returning the favor. A vulnerability for a vulnerability.
Brutus gave a short warning rumble. Flames were rising from the grill.
“I like my burgers medium rare, not meteorite.”
The second round of burgers were perfection, and we managed to squeeze in a quick swim before Derek insisted on cleaning up. I returned to my lounger for a few more minutes of relaxation. The lowering sun baked me into a blissful oblivion. I was almost asleep when I felt the tug at my bikini cup.
“Mmm,” I murmured as a warm mouth closed around the tip.
I opened one eye and watched Derek’s cheeks hollow. Impatiently, he brushed the other cup down and played his fingers over that nipple.
It felt so good. So decadent. The late sun. The steady thrum of the surf. The pull of Derek’s mouth on me.
His erection was barely contained by